NEW DELHI AUG. 11.

Justice B.D. Ahmed issued the direction when the Additional Solicitor-General of India, K.K. Sud, agreed to a proposal by the former Solicitor-General of India, Harish Salve, counsel for the petitioner company, that his client was ready to have its soft drinks tested.

Mr. Justice Ahmed directed PepsiCo and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), whose test report brought the company to the court, to supply all scientific and technical data available with them regarding such tests to the Government to facilitate rigorous tests of the samples.

The judge also noted the CSE's contribution towards bringing the issue of contamination of soft drinks to public notice.

The court issued notices to all the respondents, including the Union Government through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Canteen Stores Department (CSD) through the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, for September 22. A counter-reply and a rejoinder to it would have to be filed within four weeks and five weeks respectively from today, Justice Ahmed said.

The court passed the orders on a civil writ petition filed by PepsiCo seeking a direction to the Government not to rely on the CSE report.

Mr. Justice Ahmed also directed the petitioner company to file a reply to a show-cause notice issued to it by CSD threatening to stop purchase of soft drinks produced by the petitioner in view of the CSE findings.

The CSE director, Sunita Narain, who was present in the court during the hearing, later expressed satisfaction over the court orders.

Mr. Sud also assured the court that the Central Committee on Food Standards would take up the issue of setting standards for presence of pesticides in soft drinks when Mr. Justice Ahmed drew his attention to his admission made earlier that at the moment there was no ceiling on the presence of pesticides in soft drinks